Postcards
by x.xOracles.Shadowx.x
Summary: Declan was pretty sure he'd never understand girls, but that was okay because his dad couldn't either. - EmilyRossi, slight HotchReid, slight JJWill - Third in the Declan Prentiss series! Enjoy, guys! T for language!


**AN: Hey guys! Here's the third addition to the EmilyRossi series I've decided to commit myself to. I won't take up too much of your time; this the third story, so if you haven't read the other two, you may be a little confused. This one is from Declan's POV because I think I've focused a little too much on Rossi in the other two. Thank you all so, so much for all of your kind words on 'Home', 'Impulsive', and my EmilyMorgan story, 'Seal of Approval'! I'm so pleased everyone is enjoying my work. I just hope I don't disappoint. =)**

**Now, just a quick mention: I received a review mentioning the ReidHotch story I mentioned a few stories back. I do have quite a bit of it done, but I'm really nervous about posting it. Basically, it's as follows: Rossi has left the team and Gideon comes back (I had no idea who Rossi was or why he was there when I started this story, and by the time I realized what had happened, Gideon was just too entrenched in the story that it would have made it really awkward to change all of that to Rossi. Plus I love GideonElle, so this gave me a chance/ excuse to incorporate them). Reid likes Hotch, Reid tells JJ, Gideon finds out, Hotch finds out because of Gideon, Reid almost has a nervous break down, Morgan and Hotch almost get into a fist fight in the bullpen, Ethan (season two episode Jones) comes into the picture as Reid's ex, and the team gets a new case in the DC area that brings Elle back into the fold, as well as Rossi, who doesn't appreciate a victim of their latest case hitting on Emily. **

**It's a very involved story line and that's the simplified version of the plot. Like I said, I don't know why I'm nervous about posting it because I love ReidHotch as much as I love chocolate, but I am, so if it seems like something you'd be interested in reading, feel free to let me know. **

**Thanks again, guys! I hope you enjoy this third story in the EmilyRossi series!**

**Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to their respective owners. I am making absolutely nothing off of this, so there's really no point in suing me is there?**

Declan Prentiss stood by the back of the moving van parked in front of his new home. Or rather, his new dad's home. He stood by, letting the hired movers do their job while half listening to his uncle Hotch talk to his dad about the easiest way of moving the dinner table into the new dining room. Well, it was new to Declan anyway. He and his mom were moving into the estate – There was no other word for it, since his backyard alone was bigger than his and mom's old apartment – that David Rossi had called home since moving back to the DC area. They were taking the next step to becoming a family, the step after the one Dave had taken by asking Declan if he could be a part of his life with his mom. Declan still wasn't sure what to think of the entire thing, but he saw how secretly happy his mom was and that was enough for him to go along without complaint.

The entire situation was new to Declan. He had been a part of the BAU's family for six months as of then, and he still wasn't used to having aunts who would send home cookies with mom for them to taste test after dinner, expecting them to write the results in the little pink notebook aunt Penelope would send with every batch. He wasn't used to having cousins who would call him just to tell him excitedly about the plot of some new book or comic they had become fascinated by. He wasn't used to having uncles who would show up at his and mom's old apartment and bring them out for a team breakfast. He wasn't used to having someone he could call Dad and not feel a tidal wave of fear crash into the very core of him. He wasn't used to having a normal family, but he'd somehow fallen smack dab in the middle of one.

"You're pretty quiet, Dec. Everything okay?", his mom asked, appearing beside him while Agent Rossi – _Dad_, a voice in his head told him. - directed the movers along with uncle Hotch. He smiled at her and she brushed a hand through his hair without thinking, her eyes on his new dad. Declan watched her closely. She wasn't his birth mother; he'd known that since he was a baby. Whoever had given him life had been as faceless as he wished his biological father could be; Lauren had been all he'd known of maternal comfort. She was the one who'd cared for his injuries, read him stories at bedtime, made him sandwiches with the crusts cut off when he was hungry, and played with him while his father did who the hell knew what. Lauren, or Emily, had been his mom, and needing to say goodbye to her had damaged him. When he'd moved in with his cousins, being given a completely new name and basically being told to forget everything he'd ever known, he'd gotten through it with minimal fuss. His father had wanted him to be shadow, which meant he'd learned to adapt to almost any situation at the speed of light.

They said forget so he forgot. He forgot the rings, he forgot his father's face, he forgot the bunker hidden under the burned out house that only he, his father and Lauren had known about. The one thing he couldn't forget was Lauren herself. He'd tried; every time he heard the name Lauren after joining his cousins in Ireland, he almost panicked. The name alone was enough to make him sick with the pressure of remembering that he was supposed to forget. He'd struggled through it though, and by the time he was thirteen, he'd repressed everything about his life before joining his 'Mom and Dad' in Ireland except Lauren, and that was a part of himself that he kept carefully hidden away. The wrong word in the wrong ear could prove fatal, and he knew that as well as anyone who knew his father. Wherever Lauren was, he just hoped she was safe.

Imagine his shock when he looked out the peephole of his house in Paris to see Lauren's brown eyes staring at the door, terror in them. Panic had almost floored him and he'd run into the kitchen to get his cousins to answer the door. He'd run back up to his room, breathing hard. When his mom/ cousin in law had called him down, he saw Lauren sitting at the kitchen table with a mug of something – Declan somehow knew it was tea. - in front of her, he thought he was six again.

With Lauren, or now Emily, sitting across from him, Declan found out about everything. Why she'd had to lie to him and tell him a different name, who she was, what she did for a living, and that his father was as alive and psychotic as he'd been when Declan had last seen him. The last part hadn't surprised him, but the rest had, and when Emily briefly glossed over the fact that his father had tried to kill her because she wouldn't tell him where his son was being hidden, Declan knew that same name or not, this was Lauren.

For four months, Emily spent every day with he and his family, becoming a part of their lives. Declan felt affection for his cousins, and gratitude because he did understand what they were risking by taking him in, but he only loved Emily. He figured it was left over from when he was a kid, but he still saw her as his mom. Whenever he got in from school, he'd call Emily and tell her about his day and sometimes completely forget to tell his actual blood family that same information. As the days went by and Emily was still there, Declan had started to believe that Emily was there to stay, that he would be able to have a family that he actually had a choice in, and then the call came in.

Emily had always come for dinner every Wednesday night. It was almost like clockwork; Declan was pretty sure he could set his watch by how Emily always knocked on the door at five after five every Wednesday night. When that Wednesday night rolled around, they had all been sitting at the table discussing something when Emily's phone rang. Declan didn't even know she carried a phone, and from the look of surprise on her face as she searched for it in her purse, she could barely remember that she did.

"Hello?", Emily asked. Her face went pale, and Declan was instantly concerned. "Chief Strauss. I – Yes, ma'am. I just hadn't been expecting a call from you. I thought – What? They did? That's... Oh, my god. ... Are they okay? Did they-? … Thank God for Morgan, but Garcia must have... He what? Oh, Dave... Of course he did." Declan thought it odd that there was so much affection applied to the name Dave. "I... Yes, I did. What? You – And what does the ambassador have to say about this? … I see. When? So soon? No, ma'am. I mean, yes it's a surprise, but I can do it. I'm ready to go back."

Those four words broke Declan's heart all over again. He turned his eyes down to the table, resigning himself to the fact that he wasn't going to get the family he wanted with the only mom he'd ever known. They wanted her back. Of course they did, he told himself. He'd lost his mom once too, and wanted her back until he was thirteen when he finally got her back. She had a life and a family back home, she'd told him all about them and he knew she missed them.

She missed the woman called Garcia, and the one called JJ, the two of whom were obviously her best friends. She missed Morgan, who he had a sneaking suspicion was an ex boyfriend turned great friend and close confidant. She missed the genius Reid, who sounded to Declan like he was more like a little brother or a puppy, someone she wanted to protect. She missed the guy named Hotch (which Declan thought was a really stupid nickname, but said nothing about because just talking about these people put such enthusiasm and sadness in her eyes.) because of all he and JJ had done to help her escape his father, and the safety he gave their team. And she missed this Dave person for reasons that Declan had to figure out on his own, and with the help of the Internet.

He'd Googled all of them, and the only red flag he saw before reaching Dave – Full name David Rossi - was the fact that Morgan was something of a ladies' man. Even at thirteen, Declan didn't want his mom dating someone who would flirt with other woman when he was with his mom, so he was glad they were just friends. When he saw David Rossi's picture, he was sure he'd gone wrong somewhere. This Rossi was _old_. He had to be at least forty! (And no, he didn't care to acknowledge that his mom was in her thirties.)

So, he'd done some searching and found pictures from news conferences and press releases that confirmed that yes, this David Rossi was the same Dave who's mention had made his mom laugh in that phone call. This Rossi who had been leaning entirely too close to his mom for them to be strictly friends. This Rossi, who he'd found pictures of from a society ball, had been married three times yet saw fit to lead his mom around a dance floor in a tuxedo while she wore a dress made of vivid red fabric. There were entire internet chat groups devoted to speculation about David Rossi, which he was honestly a little afraid to check out. Declan didn't necessarily approve, but he figured he didn't have a choice in the matter. She was going back and there was nothing he could do to stop her. She was happy with going back, and he wanted her to be happy.

It took almost a week for Emily to bring the subject up, and Declan had been dreading every minute of it. He'd been sitting in his room typing up an essay when she knocked on his door. She poked her head in the door and smiled nervously, and Declan knew that this was it.

"Hey Dec, can I come in?", Emily asked. Declan, filled with dread, smiled back and nodded.

"Sure, what's up?", he asked. Emily sat on his bedside and looked at him, her arms resting on her legs. Her hands formed fists then unclenched, and she looked steadily at him.

"I need to tell you something, Declan.", Emily admitted.

"What? Are you okay?" Declan knew she wasn't okay, and soon he wouldn't be either, but he wanted to ask. She smiled slightly, then the nervous frown was back.

"Yeah, Dec. I'm okay, but there's something we need to talk about.", Emily promised. "You remember when I told you I used to work for the FBI, but I had to leave because of your father?"

"I remember." Why his father had to constantly hurt people was beyond him. He just knew that to keep Emily safe and be anything other than what his father was, he'd join the FBI or become a tax accountant or something. Anything, as long as it made it clear that he was nothing like the man who'd sired him.

"Well, that phone call I got during dinner on Wednesday was my old boss back at the FBI. She wanted to tell me that my friends caught your father, Declan. He's safe behind bars for the rest of his life and can't hurt you ever again." She looked so relieved at the news and he couldn't help but smile even though he knew the catch was coming.

"That's great! You said your team was the best, and if they can catch my father then I guess they are.", Declan acknowledged.

"They are, and that's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about." Emily looked distinctly uncomfortable, but kept looking him in the eye. "Declan, my boss called because she wants me to go back to the Bureau. She thinks that, with your dad behind bars, I would be safe enough to return to the States and get my job back."

Declan had been expecting it, but he couldn't stop the disappointment on his face. "Oh. Well, it's a good thing that you can go home to your friends, right? You must miss them."

"I do, but I'll miss you too. I thought I'd have more time here with you, but they need me back.", Emily explained.

Declan wanted to say that he needed her too, but knew that she was missing her friends back home even while she was sitting in front of him. "When do they want you to come back?"

"Next week. I'll have a lot of explaining to do when I get there.", Emily sighed.

"That's so soon.", Declan told her, alarm in his voice. He thought he'd at least get a little longer than that to say goodbye.

"I know, Dec, but my boss had pushed this through before she even called me. I leave on a plane out this Monday morning.", Emily told him. "But listen, I might be in the States, but if you ever want to call me for anything, I'll give you my phone numbers back there, and my number at the Bureau. And if you ever need anything, just let me know."

"But you'll be all the way over there.", Declan protested, and Emily smiled.

"I might be in another country, Dec, but if you ever need me, you'd be surprised how fast a federal agent can get a plane out of the country.", Emily promised.

Declan couldn't think of anything to say after that, and in that moment, he made a promise to himself that he would take advantage of the last week he'd have with the woman who'd become his mom. Declan spent every minute that he wasn't in class or sleeping that week with Emily, the two walking in circles around the tiny French town his cousins had moved to to protect him. Logically, he knew that a week wasn't enough time to make up for years of being completely separate from each other, but Declan was willing to try. Emily was as good as his mom, and if he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible, who could blame him? He tried everything he could to stop time, to get just a few more minutes with his mom, but time kept marching on and before the thirteen year old knew it, it was Sunday night.

Emily walked him to his house after taking him to see a movie and get ice cream, and Declan was choking back tears the entire time. When Emily opened her mouth to say something Declan was sure he didn't want to hear, the thirteen year old threw his arms around Emily and hugged her tightly.

"I don't want you to go.", Declan admitted. He glanced up at Emily and she rested her head on his, but Declan knew there were tears in her eyes.

"I don't want to go either, Dec, but I have to. My friends need me back home.", Emily told him.

"Why? They've gotten along fine without you for six months. Why do they need you back so badly now?", Declan asked, anger in his voice. He knew it was juvenile, but it wasn't fair. They'd had his mom for five years and they hadn't done anything to find her after she left. He'd missed her for years and would have done anything to find her. Now that he had her back, they wanted to take her away again? It just wasn't fair. He knew he would sound like a child if he voiced his thoughts, but they were taking away his mom. He was allowed to be upset.

"Declan, that's not exactly what happened.", Emily sighed. She looked down at him and brushed some of the tears from his eyes. "Dec, my friends back home don't know I'm still alive. They think your father killed me."

"But you said – JJ and Hotch, they know you're alive." Now Declan was seriously confused. Emily sighed, patting his head.

"JJ and Hotch do, yes, but the rest of my team think that they buried me. They think your father stabbed me and left me for dead because I wouldn't tell him where you were.", Emily explained. "I left to protect you and them, but Dec, this isn't my home. And with your father in jail, my superiors think it's safe enough for me to go home again."

"But what if they're wrong?", Declan demanded. "What if he breaks out of jail? Or what if someone who works for him and knows who you are finds you?"

"If that does happen, my friends will protect me.", Emily answered softly. "Dec, they'll keep me safe so I can keep you safe because they love me and I love you."

Those words were like a blow right to the chest, but Declan kept going. "But you're safe here. You're not getting shot at or blown up or beaten up or stabbed or chased. You can stay here and keep me safe, you don't have to go back to America!"

"Honey, I wish it was that simple." Emily's expression looked pained and Declan's arms tightened around her. He felt his shoulders start shaking and Emily kissed his forehead. "Come on, Dec. This isn't forever, I'll be coming back to see you."

"But I just got you back and now I'm losing you again.", Declan answered and he couldn't keep the tears from his eyes if he wanted to.

"Declan. You never lost me, honey, never. And you never will.", Emily promised him. "I just – I can't take care of you here as well as I could with my team back home. You understand?"

"Why can't I go with you then?", Declan asked desperately. He knew it was a mistake the moment he said it; he was a thirteen year old kid with a boat load of anxiety and abandonment issues and he was asking to come live with an FBI agent who made a living chasing down the most unstable psychos the world had ever known. Even he could see some of the problems that would cause.

When Emily didn't answer directly, he looked up. Her face had a look of contemplation on it, and Declan held his breath. There was no way, was there?

"Dec, do you realize what you're asking?", Emily asked.

"Yes. I'm asking to come back to the States with you. I'm asking you to be my mom.", Declan confirmed. Emily sucked in a breath.

"Dec, I love you, you know that. But do you really want a mom like me? I know nothing about kids.", Emily argued.

"You've been my mom since I was five. You loved me even when you knew what a monster my father was. I don't care what you know about kids; you know everything there is to know about me.", Declan explained.

Emily was silent for what felt like forever, but Declan waited patiently. She looked down at him and smiled, and Declan suddenly knew that everything would be okay. "I can't promise anything, Dec. I would need to talk to my boss and half the bureau to get this okay'd, but... If you're really serious about this, I'll see what I can do.", Emily told him, and it was all Declan needed to hear to make him smile.

His cousins drove him to the airport with Emily early the next morning to see her off, and until they reached her departure gate, he never let go of her hand. Emily seemed like she was a bundle of nervous energy as she hefted her duffel bag over her shoulders after depositing her luggage on with the baggage check.

"You have all of my numbers?", Emily asked him.

"All saved in my phone, and in my phone book back home.", Declan promised.

"Good. I'll call you the minute I land in DC.", Emily promised. They'd had this discussion and for half a second, Declan felt stupidly amused by the fact that he had browbeat his FBI agent of a mom into promising to call when she got home so he knew she was safe.

"You promise you'll talk to them?", Declan asked quietly, getting pulled into a hug.

"I'll yell at them if I have to.", Emily promised. "Just give me some time. I need to work things out with my friends first so it might take a while, Dec. Just promise you'll be safe?"

"I promise.", Declan answered. He was going to go insane waiting for word on whether or not he could go to the States, but he knew he would wait and keep himself safe. After all, he'd promised his mom.

After Emily left and she'd arrived safely back in DC, Declan did everything he could to keep himself busy. Two weeks later, he'd received a call from his cousin in law at work saying that his cousin had been involved in a suspicious car accident and Declan knew that somehow, someway, his father had been involved. He was supposed to be in the car his cousin was driving, but he'd decided not to go to the game his cousin had been going to. It turned out to be the best decision he could have made; the entire passenger side of the car had been completely crushed.

Once he'd found out that his cousin would be okay, Declan had called every number his mom had given him and hadn't been able to get through to her. If his cousin in law hadn't sworn up and down that she had just talked to his mom the day of the car accident, Declan had the feeling he'd have lost his mind to worry. Two weeks later, she called him and reassured him that she was fine, that his father was still in prison, and that she'd begun talking to her superiors about getting him brought over to the States. Apparently an ambassador hadn't been too taken with the idea, and for some reason it made his mom unbearably angry, even though she'd tried to hide it from him, but she was going to do everything she could to get him there.

Four months later, his mom arrived on his front door step, and the first words out of her mouth were that she was adopting him as her actual legal son. He was coming home with her. It had been more than he knew how to respond to, so the thirteen year old had just jumped at his mom and hugged her as tightly as he could. After a hurried packing job, he was saying goodbye to his cousins and getting into the rented car his mom had driven to his house from the airport, and he was on his way to Quantico, Virginia. The entire flight over, she had told him all about her team – what she told him was her family as well as his now. She told him about Hotch's son Jack, and JJ's son Henry, and she told him so much about the members of her team that he wondered how he was going to remember it all. The most common name she used, however, was David Rossi, something that Declan found suspicious.

When they arrived in Virginia, Emily showed him to her car – A huge black SUV with a bullet hole in the front driver's side door which really alarmed him – then drove him to the BAU. To say he was nervous to meet the people his mom considered family was an understatement. But, he trusted her judgment and believed her when she said they would never hurt or reject him.

Walking in the office, Declan was able to figure out who was who pretty easily, and he had two initial impressions – His mom had been right, he would have no trouble warming up to Garcia, and he was actually pretty glad he hadn't said anything about how stupid he thought Agent Hotchner's nickname was. He looked at the tall man wearing the black suit and striped tie in awe through the glass of his office windows. The nickname might have been stupid, but the man himself was intimidating, especially to a thirteen year old boy – who had heard about him beating a guy _to death on his living room floor- _wearing a 'Fighting Irish' sweater that had almost made his mom die of laughter and insist on buying when they got to the airport that morning.

Their reactions had been spot on for what his mom had predicted on the flight over; there had been some initial shock, but gradual easy acceptance. What she hadn't counted on, however, was the hurt that shone from Spencer Reid and Derek Morgan's eyes at her not telling them the truth, again. (Though Declan had to admit, Reid did slightly resemble a kicked puppy, even though his mom was probably right and he shouldn't say that to him. If he was half as intelligent as his mom said he was, the agent could probably kill him with his brain alone. His mom's words, not his.)

He saw the hurt flash into his mom's eyes and instantly went on the defensive. He'd asked her not to tell them until they got there because he was afraid they would try to stop her. He knew it was irrational and she'd told him so, but he was afraid. She loved these people, worked with and respected them. She'd only know him for a few months while she'd worked with them for over five years. He was terrified that if they said she couldn't bring him over to the States with her, she would be forced to send him back. He'd protested and explained, trying not to sound as pathetic as he thought he did. He needed them to understand; if they had to be mad at someone, be mad at him, not his mom.

He'd expected them to ignore his words, he was just a kid after all. But they didn't. They acknowledged what he said and they accepted him and his mom. The relief she felt was almost physical and it seeped into Declan within an instant. As the team surrounded them and told him in no uncertain terms that he was now a part of their family, Declan knew that everything would be okay.

He hadn't been surprised when Rossi showed up at his mom's apartment that night. He'd seen the distrust in the older profiler's eyes when he watched Declan and his mom, and he knew where it came from. He looked a lot like his father; even from the two pictures he'd seen of him, Declan knew he'd grow up to be a dead ringer for his father, hopefully minus the dead part. His mom had told him that there would probably be a little distrust from the team because of their fear that he would turn out like Doyle, and that was what he'd seen on Rossi's face. Declan didn't really care; him turning out like his father was the last thing he wanted because it would hurt his mom in more than one way. So, he didn't see any other option than making sure that he turned out to be a better man than his father.

His mom didn't seem to notice the distance Rossi put between himself, his mom and Declan, but Declan did. His eyes never left them; every move his mom made was cataloged by the profiler, but he never came within arm's reach of them. From the look on Hotch's face (and calling him uncle Hotch would take some getting used to...), he wasn't the only one who noticed the distance. He saw Hotch meet Rossi's eye and give him a dismissive shake of the head. The action had Rossi rolling his eyes, but he said nothing.

After his mom's paperwork was done, they headed for home. When his mom asked him to help her make dinner, he knew he was home. The apartment was just big enough for them to have their own space (as much as he loved his mom, he was pretty sure she knew he was territorial. One aspect of his father's flawed personality that he would admit to.), and not big enough that they would get distant from each other.

He put his favorite CD into his mom's stereo and they listened to it and talked while making dinner, with his mom asking him what he was thinking, how he liked the neighborhood, if he liked the furniture she'd picked out for his room. Minor stuff, but it showed she cared what he thought, and Declan could appreciate that. Two hours had passed and when the doorbell rang, Declan knew who it was.

He waited, leafing through a book Reid had loaned him about the history of the FBI (pointedly ignoring any and all references to his father that were made.), which was actually kind of interesting. He heard his mom greet their visitor and listened to their conversation, noting that Rossi sounded nervous. He knew one of two things could happen: Rossi could join them for dinner, and Declan would need to decide if he was willing to risk another guy being introduced into his mom's world, and if he was willing to take the risk that he would hurt her; Or, Rossi could try to tell his mom that having the son of a terrorist wasn't the brightest move in history and try to get her to send him away. Declan felt a temper he knew he had but tried to ignore flare to life. This man made his mom happy; he'd seen it every time she talked about him. If he was that much of an idiot, his mom's heart was going to break. It wasn't even about him at this point; it was about his mom being happy.

Declan heard their entire conversation; the music wasn't that loud and his hearing wasn't that bad. So. This man wanted to be a part of their family. Declan had a few questions for him to answer before he would even consider it, but when his mom walked into the kitchen smiling with Rossi right behind her, he was willing to play along. He was his mother's son after all; if his mom was such a great profiler, he'd need to learn to be too. And David Rossi would be his first analysis.

For the entire dinner, Declan watched as he and Rossi played some sort of game of who could get the greater profile of the other by the time dessert came around. By the end, he was surprised to say, he had lost spectacularly. Whether his mom figured out what was going on, he had no idea, and he wasn't even sure if Rossi knew they were playing at all. What he did know was that this man meant what he said; he wanted to be a part of their life, he wanted them to live with him because he loved his mom, and his mom loved Declan. From the way his mom was looking at the two of them, she wanted the move as badly as Rossi did, but because she loved her son, she'd do what was best for him and wait to see what could be done. While it didn't make up the entire decision, that was the tipping factor for Declan.

After dessert and tea, the clock struck eleven and Rossi made his excuses to leave. Declan knew he'd have to play this very carefully, and was thankful that his mom decided to call his aunt Penny about a movie date he'd never heard of and suspected didn't actually exist. He was left with Rossi in the front hall, and waited until the awkward looking agent got his coat and shoes on before making his presence known.

Their conversation was forced, but by the end, Declan knew that while he didn't know him yet, he could trust this man to protect his mom when he couldn't. David Rossi was actually in love with his mom, and was determined not to let her go again after losing her the first time. It was this similarity that convinced Declan to give him a chance; his mom loved them both and neither of them wanted her to get hurt. Between the two of them, they could keep her safe.

For two months after that, Rossi – Or Dave, as he became known to Declan in the early days– was a regular feature in the Prentiss household. He would be over there in the morning to have breakfast with Declan and his mom, he'd drive him to school and mom to work, and would bring over dinner every night. If sometimes he was there before Declan woke up, well, the teenager never said either way.

Then the first postcard came in the mail. It was a simple black and white postcard, of a woodland scene with trees and snow. On one of the cut down trees, there was an ax sticking up. Declan had been the one to get it from the mail slot and hadn't thought anything of it until he read the back. Normally, there was a condensed version of a story on the back of a postcard. On this one, there were just the words, 'Wish you were here, Lauren.'

Those words made Declan Prentiss turn white as a sheet and run up the six flights of stairs to his and his mom's apartment. He had the day off school for a 'Take your kid to work day' type of event, so he was able to go with his mom. She had been standing in the kitchen with a cup of coffee reading the morning paper when he burst into the room. Seeing her son's face, Emily was instantly alert.

"Dec? What happened?", Emily asked. Declan could only show her the postcard, and once she read it, he was half afraid that she was going to faint. She'd reached for her phone and, to Declan's surprise, didn't call Dave but Hotch. She dialed what he knew was Hotch's home number and waited a beat until he answered. "Hotch, Doyle has my address."

That had been the first night of many that Emily and Declan Prentiss had slept in the guest rooms of David Rossi's house, and the first time Declan had ever seen real fury on David Rossi's face. When Dave found out about Doyle's letter to his mom, any expression he'd had was wiped from his face. He'd listened to the entire story, including Hotch's deadly calm, 'I can make your death a blood bath if you fuck with my family' tone as he told JJ to get on the line to the warden of the prison Doyle was being held in without saying a word. He wasn't his uncle Hotch then; he was Agent Aaron Hotchner, and he was not happy.

Declan stood by his mom, who was so close to Dave that she may as well have been leaning on him. The veteran profiler opened his mouth, and Declan knew something was about to happen. He looked at Emily and told her that she and Declan were coming home with him that night and verbally dared Chief Strauss, who was standing in the bullpen for the announcement, to argue with him about it. He made his stance perfectly clear; he didn't care if he had to retire in order for Emily and Declan to stay with him. He'd put his ghosts to rest so he could move on, but if Strauss tried to stop him from bringing Emily and Declan to his home for their own safety and his peace of mind, he would quit right then and there.

Once the shocked section chief had assured him that he wouldn't need to do anything of the sort, Dave had nodded once, then told Emily and Declan that he'd be at their apartment at four that afternoon to bring them to his place. He'd then told Hotch point blank not to look for or call him because he wouldn't answer, then walked out of the bullpen.

From what aunt JJ said, he'd broken every record ever set in the shooting range that day, even breaking his own records from twenty years before. Declan had stayed with his mom and uncle Morgan that day, his mom barely saying a word and the environment around the bullpen much more tense than it had ever been when Declan was there. He mentally cursed his father for always managing to ruin any good thing that was in his biological son's life.

That night, true to his word, Dave was waiting on the door step of their apartment, and in his hand was another postcard. His mom took the card wordlessly, looking at the black and white image of a deserted and broken down saw mill, and no one missed the image of a solitary chain saw that was in the center of the picture. On the back, the words again were, 'Wish you were here, Lauren.'. His mom handed it back to Dave and unlocked the door, hurrying herself and Declan into the apartment. Declan had seen Dave glaring at the postcard, and wondered if he was going to tear it up.

When uncle Morgan, uncle Hotch and uncle Will showed up an hour later, they managed to get the majority of Emily and Declan's things moved to Rossi's house in a single trip. When he asked where uncle Spencer and aunt JJ and Penelope were, he was told that JJ was staying home to take care of Henry while Will helped with the moving, and that Hotch had practically tied Spencer up and threw him in the car to get him and Jack over to JJ's house so they could watch the kids together. (Declan privately wondered if his uncle Hotch was crazy; his uncle Spencer might have been on the skinny side, but he had a slow burning temper and access to a gun. What did uncle Morgan say about not messing with people who carry guns?)

That night, Declan didn't sleep, and he knew for a fact that he wasn't the only one who didn't. He could hear his mom pacing around the floors of Dave's house every night for two weeks. He never said anything and whenever he broached the topic with Dave, he was given a concerned look and told to leave it to him. He watched his mom get progressively more tired and unfocused as each sleepless night went on, and then saw that all the decaf coffee in their kitchen had been thrown out. After almost two and a half weeks had gone by, he was woken by the familiar tread of his mom outside his door. He fell back asleep and around 1 that morning, he woke up when he heard Dave call his mom quietly from down the hall while she paced almost silently in front of Declan's room.

"Emily, he's safe.", Dave told her quietly.

"But what if I can't keep him safe, Dave? What if Doyle-?" There was panic edging into his mom's voice.

"Emily, you heard Hotch. He's under round the clock surveillance, and he's not allowed any form of contact with the outside world. You and Declan are safe.", Rossi explained. Well, Declan thought. That explained where uncle Hotch had vanished to the week before.

"If anything ever happened to him, Dave..."

"Nothing is going to happen to Declan, Emily. You're both safe here. Not only are there two armed Federal agents in this house, but an entire squad of security personal are taking up residence outside my house, and there's round the clock surveillance at your apartment so if anyone drops anything off, we'll get them and finally put an end to this." Declan hadn't know about any of that, but he was glad it was happening.

"Why are you doing this, Dave?" His mom sounded so bone tired that it made Declan sad just hearing it. "You're putting yourself in so much danger with this."

"Because I love you, and I love Declan. I'm going to do everything I can to keep you both safe, Emily. Even if it means breaking Ian Doyle's nose a second time." Both laughed a little at that. "Now come on. I won't have you going through one more day on a diet of coffee and sugar; you're getting some sleep."

"I've been getting sleep.", he heard his mom argue. Declan wanted to remind her how she always told him not to lie, but then thought it best to leave it to Dave.

"Cat naps are not sleep, Emily. Now come on, Declan and I have both seen you inhaling coffee like oxygen. You keep this up and you won't do anybody any good." He heard his mom walk away, then lay back with a smile. From that day on, Declan considered David Rossi a solid part of his life.

Since then, they had been living with Rossi, and now, they were moving in permanently. The official excuse, according to Dave who'd told him without checking with mom first, was that his mom still hadn't fully recovered from her return from death, or his father's post prison harassment. So, Dave had reasoned, it made sense that they keep living with him so both Emily and Declan felt secure. It seemed like a solid excuse to anyone who didn't know Rossi, or his mom for that matter.

Declan heard his uncle Morgan call him and ask him for help getting a coffee table through the front door while the movers had their hands full with his mom's directions about where the bedroom sets were supposed to be moved. Declan ran over to his uncle, grabbing the other end of the table. The two got it in the door and into the living room, Morgan let out a huff as they rested it on the floor.

"Thanks, kid.", Morgan said to him, brushing his hands off on his jeans.

"No problem. How much left is there?", Declan asked.

"Not too sure, I don't think that much. Your mom was pretty detailed with what we handled and what the movers handled.", Morgan replied, smirking at Declan's snort of laughter. Detailed was one word for it. His mom had had an actual guide laid out for the movers when they got to the apartment that specifically stated what they were to handle and what they were to leave for his uncles to move.

One of the movers had tried to deviate from that plan, and as far as Declan was concerned, his mom had channeled the Exorcist. As far as he knew, the mover had remained in the truck the entire time his mom had been in eye shot once she was through with him. (Dave had needed to calm her down, and once she'd gone inside he'd joked to Hotch about how if the unsubs knew the different kind of crazy Emily could summon up, they'd probably be scared straight.)

Declan opened his mouth to respond, then heard his mom let out a scream and saw his dad run out the front door with his hand on his side arm. He didn't know if it was a conditioned response or a nervous reaction but he and Morgan were hot on the veteran's heels. Declan slowed to a stop to find his mom and aunt JJ locked in a hug on the front porch while Garcia hugged the both of them. The three women were crying, and Will looked like he wasn't a far cry from fainting. Declan walked next to Dave, who looked torn between being annoyed and relieved as he holstered his side arm. Morgan exchanged puzzled looks with Hotch, and Declan looked up at the man who was soon to be, if he wasn't already, his dad.

"What happened?", he asked his almost a step dad.

"I have no idea, Dec.", Rossi replied, looking confused at the scene on his front lawn. Emily broke away from JJ and Garcia and Will took her place, holding JJ to him. Garcia let go of them, then turned back to the car that was behind them and brought the two children and very harassed looking Spencer Reid to the gathering. Jack ran to his dad, who looked like he didn't have a clue what had happened to the members of his team, and Henry toddled over to where his parents stood

Hotch and Jack met Reid by Rossi, and the unit chief asked his... whatever they'd decided he and uncle Spencer were what happened. Reid couldn't get the answer out before Emily wrapped her arms around Declan. He looked up and saw the happy smile on her face.

"Mom? What just happened?", Declan asked again while his uncle Hotch tried to get uncle Spencer out of the state of shock he'd been left in by whatever had just happened.

"Your aunt JJ is pregnant, honey. Her and uncle Will are gonna have a baby.", Emily told her son, a bright smile on her face. Delcan was still confused. If this was good news, why did his mom scream? Babies were just tiny people, right? Nothing to be afraid of.

"Come on, precious.", Garcia said to the still shell shocked Morgan, grabbing his arm and leading him into the house. "We're making food. Well, I'm making food, you're there for eye candy. Oooh, I can't believe I'm gonna be a godmother again! Emily! Show me around your kitchen!"

Emily rolled her eyes then pressed a kiss to Declan's hair and one to Rossi's cheek. As she walked inside, Declan and Dave exchanged a look.

"Dad?", Declan asked, still feeling like he'd been thrown for a loop. He didn't even notice that the name 'Dad' came naturally for him; he just knew that this man loved his mom and him, and wanted to be in their lives and protect them. That was all he needed in a dad, so he supposed if the shoe fit.

"Yeah, kid?", Dave answered, his arm going around Declan. For the first time since the postcards started arriving and subtly threatening he and his mom, Declan felt safe again.

"I don't think I'll ever understand girls." His mom and aunts confused him; how was he supposed to understand girls he wasn't related to?

"Me neither, kid.", his dad agreed with a sigh. His arm tightened around Declan's shoulders. "Well, come on, Dec. Someone's gotta move this stuff or your mom will blow a gasket. Let's get moving."

Declan nodded then looked back at the house, hearing his mom laughing inside the building. He gave his aunt JJ a hug and shook hands with his uncle Will, then went back to work beside his dad. It was finally sinking in that this was going to be his home from now on; he had a real family now, all thanks to his mom. He glanced at Dave and smiled. His mom had saved his life from the psychopath who called himself his father, and in the process had given him a new dad. A new dad for a new life, he mused, happy with the idea.

With that thought in his head, Declan Prentiss grabbed hold of a box of bedding and carried it along side his dad into their new home.

**AN: Awww. New JJWill baby. =) That just kind of hit me out of no where, but the baby (Spoiler alert! It's a girl.) will be appearing in one of the upcoming stories for this series. I just love the thought of Reid and Garcia being the godparents to both Henry and JJ and Will's little girl. Reid would be so out of his element, it would be hilarious. xD **

**That's it, my loves! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Questions, comments, concerns? As always, please feel free to let me know. I love input, it makes my world go round. =) I'm already working on the next chapter so hopefully I'll have that up before another week has passed, but don't quote me on it. =P **

**Thanks for reading, and enjoy the remainder of your Saturday morning/ afternoon/ night, depending on your timezone! I am now going to bed because I am a tired little Oracle and I need my beauty sleep. **

**Much love, **

**Oracle. (L)**


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